A Different Kind of Kid
by Karleigh-Q
Summary: **Prequel to Narnia Ranch** Edmund Miller has just moved in. And the Kirkes are in for more than they planned.
1. The Last Day

A/N: Unlike the other story, this is all in Edmund's POV. Enjoy.

I own nothing.

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I was sitting in the classroom at the Saint Elizabeth Orphanage for children, trying my best to pay attention to the lesson. However, my mind kept wandering to the fact that in about thirty minutes, Linda was going to come and cart me off to another foster home; another family who supposedly "wanted me".

"Edmund Miller!" I snapped my head forward, looking at Mrs. Macready, the teacher who was hired out to teach the poor, unfortunate orphans who have nowhere else to go.

"Yes ma'am." I answered obediently. She just glared at me.

"Why are you staring at the clock and not paying attention to the lesson?" Everyone turned to look at me, and I just shot her a smirk. I was leaving in twenty five minutes.

"What you're teaching isn't that interesting." There was a collective gasp and Mrs. Macrabby just stared at me like a fish out of water, before pointing at the door.

"Out." I stood up, grabbed my books and walked out of the door with a cheeky grin. I decided to wait in the dorm until Linda got here, which was in ten minutes. I walked into the dorm and flopped on my bed, before Anne came in and sat beside me.

"I heard what you said in class. That was amazing!" I grinned at her as she scooted closer.

"Well, I figure I'm leaving today, might as well have some fun with it." She gave a tiny pout, before lying down on the bed beside me.

"I think I'm gonna miss you." I didn't say anything, just wrapped my arm around her waist. I wasn't going to lie and say I would miss her as well, because I honestly wouldn't, but I guess she took that as enough of an answer, because she turned in my arms and pressed her lips to mine. I dominated the kiss, running my hands up her stomach, as her hand grabbed my shoulder, pulling me closer.

It was about to get really good, when the dorm door slammed open and the heels of the nun's sensible shoes got closer to my bunk. She saw us lying on the bed together, our lips swollen from the impressive make-out session we had just enjoyed.

"Edmund Miller, for the sake of your soul, I hope you get adopted soon." I just grinned cheekily at her, untangling myself from Anne.

"I take it Linda is here?" The nun gave a small growl, grabbing my arm and yanking me down the distance of the dorm, barely giving me time to grab my duffel bag.

When we reached the front desk, the nun who had dragged me the length of the building shoved me at Linda, so I stumbled and almost fell down. Linda took one good look at me, before shaking her head and turning back to the paperwork she was filling out.

"Don't bother changing the guardian on this one. I'm not going to fill out the paperwork, only for him to be back in two days." I turned and glared at her, hoping I had some effect on her evil, evil heart.

"The confidence you have in me touches my defective heart." I told her, in an extremely sarcastic tone. Linda pinched me from behind.

"I extend my kindness to those who want to accept God, not those who take advantage of young girls in the bunk room." Instead of responding, telling her that Anne was the one who came on to me, I just glared at her. I'll let the nuns think crap about me, doesn't matter, but Anne cares what people think of her.

"Let's go Edmund." Linda said, pulling me, much gentler than the nun, toward the front door.

Once I was comfortably in the front of the car, with my duffle thrown in the back, I turned to Linda, "So you know that I wasn't trying to take advantage of any young girls, right?" She gave a sigh as she moved to turn out of the city.

"Yes, I know, but would it kill you to try and behave for this family?" Linda asked, glancing quickly at me. I grabbed my chest in fake agony.

"I'm dying!" Linda didn't think this was funny, and proved it by thumping me on the forehead. I rubbed the spot with a scowl on my face, "So who is this family?"

"Digory and Polly Kirke. They're an older couple from Felimath."

"Felimath? As in where Susan used to live Felimath?" I asked with an incredulous look on my face. Hadn't we tried the hoity toity type, they sent me back with one look. _Damn nun is gonna be right!_

"Yes, they run a horse ranch and needed someone who could help around the ranch, and be independent because they're a little too old to be raising a six-year-old." I laughed a little, "What's so funny?"

"Well, just the other day you told me my maturity level was that of a four-year-old." I laughed again, "Do they know they're getting a fourteen-year-old toddler?" Linda laughed and I leaned my head against the cool glass of the window.

"Some facts I left out when I was finding a family." I laughed and yawned, before falling into a deep sleep.

Three hours later, Linda was shaking me trying to wake me up.

"Wake up Edmund!" She said with a particularly hard shove, "We're almost there." I heaved a sigh, sitting up and blinking blearily.

"Do I really have to do this?" Linda turned and looked at me funny, "She was right. Two days, at most." Linda sighed, grabbing my hand.

"Give them a chance Edmund, they might surprise you." I felt my temper start to rise, trying to control it like the anger management lady at the hospital taught me.

"I gave people a chance three failed adoptions ago, my faith is dwindling." My tone was biting and snarky, but I wasn't raging yet. Linda squeezed my hand tightly and I pulled away, rolling the window down to get some fresh air, doing my deep breaths, until the thoughts of the day that Linda told me she was trying to adopt me popped into my head. That's when I snapped, "YOU SAID YOU WANTED ME!" Linda pulled her car over to the side of the road, trying to pull me in for a hug, but I just shrugged her off.

"I do want you Edmund." I turned and glared at her.

"YEAH, IT SURE SEEMS LIKE IT!" I started to hyperventilate. Linda grabbed my shoulders, whispering calming words that I barely heard, I was too concentrated on slowing my breathing. Once I had managed to get my breath to a relatively normal level, Linda started to wipe the sweat off of my face. I barely noticed I had started to cry, something I hadn't done since I was seven and Susan was adopted and I was left alone in the home, "I don't want to be given back again. I hate not being wanted." Linda pulled me into a hug that, although I didn't return it, I allowed, "Even children's homes don't want me."

"I do want you, but the state won't let me adopt you. I can't get emotionally involved with a case." She whispered in my ear, rubbing circles on my back. I nodded, my breathing completely normal and my sobs died down. Linda reached into her purse, which was more like a small suitcase, and pulled out several wet wipes, handing them to me, "Get yourself cleaned up." She told me gently, leaning back over to the driver's side and starting the car again. I brushed my hair out of my face, using the wet wipes to dry my eyes and wipe the tear tracks and sweat marks off of my cheeks. Before pulling back onto the country road, Linda leaned over and kissed the top of my head. I gave her a small smile, hoping it would suffice for a thank you.


	2. Dinner with The Kirks

A/N: Wow, This chapter took much longer than was necessary. For those Narnia Ranch Sequel seekers, I'm starting to plan it out in my head, but I have a Math course this semester, so be patient with me!

Linda pulled up to a small ranch house with faded blue shutters and peeling red paint. On the porch, there were two wooden rocking chairs, with a small table in between them. All and all, the whole image was very picturesque.

Parking the car, Linda reached over to place her hand on top of mine. I was still angry, mostly at myself for going into rage, and not really in the mood to be comforted, so instead of responding, I reached into the back seat and grabbed my duffle bag, and opened the door.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

When the door opened, a roly-poly woman with salt-and-pepper hair, pulled into a bun, was on the other side. She gave me a brilliant Colgate smile, before motioning for us to follow her. Linda pushed my back until I was forced to follow down the entry way and into, what I guessed was, a living room. There was a man with crazy blond hair sitting on a red and brown plaid couch, reading a newspaper. When he heard us come in, he set the paper down and stood beside the roly-poly woman.

"Polly, Digory, This is Edmund. Edmund, these are the Kirks." I stared at my feet, torn between fleeing from the house, and laughing at Mr. Kirk's hair. I decided on none of the above because they would both get me into trouble. Linda pushed me forward with a small pinch. I looked up long enough to mutter a quick hello before looking down at my feet again.

"Hello Edmund." Mrs. Kirk said in a happy voice. It was the kind of voice that people who are trying to stay positive use, and I wasn't buying it. "We're so happy you're here." She paused here, like she was expecting our first meeting to be a Hallmark moment, "Do you want to see your room?" This caught my attention. My room?

I hadn't had my own room since I was put into the system. I was six when I was put in, so that room had toy trains and stuffed animals everywhere in it. I wonder what this room will look like, "Um… I guess."

Mrs. Kirk gave a motion for me to follow her down the hallway. The hall was painted a bright yellow color that made me want to yell 'Oh'. There were pictures of what I guessed to be distant family members, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Kirk on their wedding day. Mrs. Kirk pointed out a door that was about half-way down the hall.

"That's our spare room, and that's Digory and I's room." She said, motioning toward another door. "At the end of the hall there is the bathroom." She pointed before turning and pointing to a door with barely restrained enthusiasm, "And this is your room." She said gesturing for me to open the door. I did slowly, thinking that Mrs. Kirk was insane.

The room was small, but big enough that if this was a normal foster home at least ten kids would be in there. In the middle of the room was a gigantic double bed with navy covers, which matched the walls to a tee. There was a desk and a side table with a blue lamp on it. The dresser in the corner was pine, matching the bed, desk, and side table, and had a stereo sitting on it. It was, basically, a generic boy's room.

"Why's there a double bed? Does someone else live here?" I murmured out. Mrs. Kirk looked at me in surprise.

"No, it's yours. Why did you think someone else was coming?" She asked, like it was a simple question. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Experience." Linda sighed from behind Mrs. Kirk, and I looked to her, wondering what I did wrong. She made a small motion for me to go into the room. I sighed inaudibly, walking in the navy room, touching the desk gently. I heard Linda clear her throat behind me, but I didn't turn and look at her.

"Polly, I need to speak with you and Digory privately." She told the Kirks, "Edmund, why don't you stay here and get settled." I gave a nod, turning to look at her. I tried to ask her with my eyes, 'You'll come say goodbye, right?' She gave me a small smile and a nod, which I returned with a smile of my own.

When Mrs. Kirk and Linda had shut the door and I heard the footsteps down the hall. I studied the blank walls, wondering why the Kirks would go to all of this trouble. It seemed like a lot of effort for me to only be here a few days. Although, I won't lie to myself; Mrs. Kirk reminds me of Susan when I was little. She seems very intent on making this work. Mr. Kirk, I have to say scares me. He reminds me a little of Andrew. Not in looks, obviously, but in his overall demeanor. The strong, silent type had always seemed to frighten me, because it's what I had come to expect when I lived on the military base in Brooklyn. _Strong, silent, and mean._ I would have to be careful not to tick him off.

There was a light knock on the door, which shocked me, because I'm used to people just barging in. I walked forward, turning the knob slowly, Linda being on the other side. She looked at my shoulder, where my duffel was still slung.

"You know, when I said get settled, I at least thought you'd put down the duffle bag." I gave a small laugh, looking at her with a smile.

"Well, what can I say? I have this thing with authority." Linda laughed and pulled me closer into a hug, kissing the side of my face. Linda has been the closest thing I've had to a parent since Peter, Susan, and I had been separated. She's one of the only people who can get away with trying to cuddle me.

"Try and make this work Ed." She said, holding my shoulders at arm's length, "I think the Kirks could be good for you, so please, at least try and make it work." I gave her a small smile.

"I will." I promised, in a small whisper. She smiled back at me.

"Good. Why don't you sleep a little?" I nodded and hugged her again, "I'll be back to check up on you in a few weeks." She whispered in my ear, before pushing me back onto the bed with a laugh. I lay down on the bed, but didn't sleep. Instead, staring at the ceiling, I began to think. I wondered if I should bother to unpack my duffle bag. Would it be better to just leave it packed and see what happens? I don't want to offend the Kirks, but I don't want to get all settled in, just to have to move back out. I was snapped out of my thoughts by my stomach growling. Looking over at the bedside table, I saw that the clock said that it was six thirty. I'm used to eating at five. _No wonder I'm hungry._

I tried to think about what to do about food. There was no one else to ask and I didn't have a number that would tell me when I would eat. I was trying to solve this problem when Mrs. Kirk popped into the room.

"Edmund, I made some popcorn. Linda told us it's your favorite." At the very mention of popcorn I flung myself off of the bed and followed Mrs. Kirk down the hall into a small kitchen. It had a scrubbed wooden table that was covered with checkered oil cloth, and four chairs. On the table was a giant bowl of popcorn, dripping with butter and coated in salt. My affection grew for Mrs. Kirk, because she obviously wasn't aware of my diet plan, which didn't include butter, salt, or whatever she was frying on the stove. I didn't want to look overly excited, but I know I practically sprinted over to the table and grabbed a handful of the tasty, buttery treat. Upon the first bite, I swear I heard the Hallelujah chorus. I heard Mrs. Kirk mutter behind me, "My God, they starved him," and turned to stare at her. She actually seems to care. I didn't stare for very long, because there was a bowl of popcorn in front of me. I could feel Mrs. Kirk's eyes on me, but didn't mind. I was used to people staring. I also didn't look up when I heard Mr. Kirk come into the kitchen; that is until he started talking.

"Geez boy, save some for everyone else." I was reaching for another handful, but quickly yanked my hand back and looked at my lap, tightening my shoulders, getting ready for the blows that were sure to come. _Great job Edmund! Eat everyone's dinner._

"I'm sorry sir." I said as quiet as possible. I looked up when I heard Mr. Kirk laughing and a towel snapping. I saw Mrs. Kirk glaring at Mr. Kirk, but not looking genuinely angry.

"Don't mind him; he only thinks he's funny." I gave a wary smile, not looking at either of them. Mrs. Kirk motioned to the popcorn bowl, "Eat, dinner's almost ready." I stared at her, wondering why she was making something else.

"That wasn't dinner?" I asked curiously. Mrs. Kirk turned back to the stove and I looked at my lap, afraid I made her mad. I winced when Mr. Kirk gave a small chuckle.

"No, Polly was all excited about you coming so she went on a cooking spree." He gave another chuckle when Mrs. Kirk snapped him again, "She made fried chicken. People come from far and wide to eat this." Fried chicken? I smiled at my fortune. They obviously didn't know what the doctors said I was allowed to eat. I looked at Mr. Kirk, once he started reading the paper again, and reached my hand for the popcorn again, taking a few more bites before Mrs. Kirk brought a giant plate of chicken and a bowl of mashed potatoes over to the table, putting a few pieces on all of our plates.

"So Edmund, are you excited about school?" Mrs. Kirk asked me, peeling the meat off of her chicken bone with a fork. I looked into her eyes briefly, before looking back at my plate.

"Um… I guess." I murmured out, not looking forward to it at all.

"Well, a friend of ours is going to bring her twin boys over tomorrow." Mr. Kirk said. I flinched and looked up at his face, seeing him tearing at a chicken leg, "They're in the same grade as you, so that way you'll know someone when you go to school." I peeled a piece of chicken off of the bone with my fingers, reveling in the grease coating my fingers.

"Cool." I whispered. Mrs. Kirk smiled, looking me up and down.

"Well, we'll have to go get you some more clothes." She said, "God knows those jeans are falling apart." I looked down at my khaki shorts, realizing they were rather ragged. I guess I had never thought about it, because in all of the homes, everyone's clothes looked pretty much alike.

"I never noticed." My voice was a little louder than when Mr. Kirk was talking to me. First impressions are lasting, and mine was to not trust him. Mr. Kirk was asking me questions again and I flinched at his voice.

"So, Linda told us you have a brother and sister?" I flinched at the mention of Peter and Susan. Instead of saying anything I just nodded, hoping the subject would be dropped, "What are they like?" I flinched again.

"Susan's a college student at NYU and Peter is in the Military." I told them robotically. Thinking about Peter still hurt. Remembering the icy look in his eyes still makes my stomach curl. _You deserve this you know._

"Oh, when was the last time you saw them?" Mrs. Kirk asked me, taking delicate bites of potatoes. I had to think about it for a minute.

"About a year ago was when I last saw Susan." I left Peter out of the equation, not liking to talk about him, hoping Mrs. Kirk would pick up on this.

"Oh, that's so sad! We'll have to have her over for dinner sometime, if that's alright with you?" Mrs. Kirk exclaimed, and I knitted my eyebrows together. _She's talking like she's going to keep me._

"Yeah, I guess. She's really busy with her family, so she doesn't really have time for me anymore." I said, not spitefully, but just in a matter-of-fact tone. Mrs. Kirk looked shocked.

"You are her family. You're her brother, aren't you?" She asked, as if being blood related made us a Norman Rockwell.

"I'm Susan and Peter's half-brother. No one knows who my dad is." It was Mr. Kirk's turn to look at me funny.

"What do you mean?" He asked in a gruff voice that made me flinch. I gave a tiny sigh. _Didn't they read my file? This is all in there!_

"I'm a bastard." I stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "My mom was fooling around with other sailors on the base, so no one knows who's I am. Andrew knew I wasn't his because he went away for three months and came back to my mom two months pregnant."

"Who's Andrew?" Mr. Kirk asked and my hand tightened around the napkin I was holding. I didn't say anything, but could feel their expectant eyes on me. After I had torn the paper napkin several times, I finally looked up, feeling anger bubbling inside of me.

"May I be excused?" I whispered, trying to control my rage until I could get some fresh air, or at least away from the Kirks. Mr. and Mrs. Kirk exchanged a look, before Mrs. Kirk nodded. I stood up slowly, with my posture stiff, placed the torn napkin on my plate, and walked outside and sat on the front porch.


End file.
